As is known, management functions (e.g., configuring, monitoring, and the like) for communication network switches may be entered locally at a command line interface, which is incorporated on the communication network switch. The command line interface typically includes a local user interface that permits a network administrator to enter a number of various network switch control and/or configuration commands. The network switch control and/or configuration commands are processed locally by the command line interface and communicated to various elements of the communication network switch for configuring elements of the communication network switch (e.g., turning ports on/off), for monitoring data flow through the switch (e.g., counting data packets) and for performing administrative network management operations (e.g., naming equipment).
Typically, a command line interface that is incorporated on the communication network switch requires that a network administrator be physically located proximate to the communications network switch while entering control and/or configuration commands via the local user interface, as described above. In order to provide remote access to the local command line interface, some command line interfaces are provided with communication ports, such as an RS232 port, Telnet port or the like, to permit remote access to the local command line interface using a personal computer, for example. In this arrangement, the network administrator can remotely access the local command line interface located on the communications network switch for providing control and/or configuration commands to the network switch in a similar manner as though the network administrator were providing control and/or configurations commands to the communication network switch from the local user interface.
Furthermore, in the event that it is desired to communicate similar control and/or configuration commands to a number of different network switches, the network administrator has to remotely access each of the local command line interfaces, which are associated with each of the number of different network switches, for providing the control and/or configuration commands to each of the number of different network switches. This redundant process can be very time consuming and inefficient, in particular, if the network administrator has to communicate with a large number of different network switches to provide similar configuration commands.
In addition, processing and/or execution of the control and/or configurations commands remains local to the network switch(es). In other words, regardless as to whether the control and/or configuration commands are received at the command line interface, via the local user interface (e.g., locally entered commands) or via the communication port (e.g., remote entered commands), the control and/or configuration commands are processed and/or executed locally by the local command line interface and, thereafter, provided to the communication network switch, as described above. In some instances, the local command line interface may require significant resources from the communication network switch, such as processor bandwidth and memory space, for processing the control and/or configuration commands, as described above, which can retard other various processing operations executed by the network switch.
It would, therefore, be desirable to overcome the aforesaid and other disadvantages.